Lizzie Borden B&B prepares for anniversary re-enactment, tours

It's not uncommon for guests to be a little jumpy when they visit the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast on the anniversary of the Borden killings.

Deborah Allard Herald News Staff Reporter @debsallard

FALL RIVER — It’s not uncommon for guests to be a little jumpy when they visit the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast on the anniversary of the Borden killings.

After all, the gruesome scene discovered in the house 122 years ago is spoken about as though it just occurred and the corpses are still fresh. Guests are led through the rooms of the Victorian era home and witness the deceased as police first viewed them in 1892.

They listen as Lizzie Borden is questioned about the hatchet killings of her father and stepmother. And they make their own assumptions as to whether Lizzie could have wielded a hatchet 11 and 19 times (her stepmother got the latter) or if the Sunday school teacher is innocent, just as her peers did at the time.

Once again, the Pear Essential Players will put on the annual re-enactment on the anniversary of the killings, this year on Monday, Aug. 4.

The current CSI script, written by Shelley Dziedzic, is tweaked a bit each year. The cast, 17 in all, changes regularly, too. Dziedzic has written several scripts and is planning on a whole new script for next year.

“This year, there will be some street acting,” Dziedzic said.

As visitors line up to tour the house, “nosy neighbors” will be outside gossiping about what’s just happened. They may have a few words to say about Lizzie, or a few whispered comments about her stepmother.

“We have fun with the guests,” Dziedzic said. “They will get into 1892 the minute they’re in the gift shop.”

The actors will be wearing elaborate Victorian costumes, many of them hand-made by Dziedzic and other volunteers. Besides learning their lines for the eight shows they’ll put on that day, they also learn Victorian etiquette and decorum.

Lizzie Borden B&B owner Donald Woods said the re-enactments generally sell out by noon each year. They expect up to 300 visitors.

Visitors will be led into the house through the front door and will start the tour in the formal sitting room. They’ll make their way into the parlor where Andrew’s body will be discovered on the couch. Then, it’s on to the kitchen and dining room, where the bodies were laid out. Guests will be led upstairs, where Abby will be found in a pool of blood, and visitors will be able to see where Lizzie and her sister, Emma, slept.

They’ll also be treated to a plethora of Borden family photographs, Victorian era furnishings and even a trip down to the basement.

Cookies, lemonade and Deadly Grounds-brand coffee will be offered after each tour.